Who Pays For Houses on Brother vs. Brother?
Jonathan Scott Explains Why the Home Reno Costs Are So Stinking Cheap on Their HGTV Shows
Jonathan and Drew Scott's shows like Property Brothers and Property Brothers: Buying and Selling feature home buyers looking to create their dream homes — and participants are required to have a certain amount of funds set aside as well as a contingency budget for when things go wrong, which they just about always do (shoddy wiring, a leaky roof — you get the idea). But the brothers' other hit HGTV show, Brother vs. Brother, is a different story because they're renovating houses without a homeowner. This leads to some interesting financing questions; specifically, who buys the houses and pays for the renovations? Well, Jonathan answered these pressing questions during a recent Facebook Live broadcast — and his response might surprise you!
A fan asked if HGTV pays for the unexpected costs that come up during renovation, and Jonathan responded that HGTV does not pay for these costs. He explained that HGTV agrees to pay a set amount of money before filming begins, then expenses for the show are in the hands of the Scott brothers' production company, who shoots the show. "Keep in mind, this is Drew and my actual money," Jonathan explained, emphasizing, "We buy these houses ourselves, we put up the money for the renovations ourselves, so everything to do with the project comes out of our pockets."
As for how they keep renovation costs so much lower on their shows than they are in the real world, Jonathan said that they're not paying what a layperson would if they went to buy supplies at Lowe's or Home Depot because they get a professional discount and wholesale pricing. He says, "You would probably never be able to renovate for the same price that we do on our shows because any time we get a wholesale price, we pass that savings along to the homeowner, or on Brother vs. Brother, it comes off our bottom line." As for all that gorgeous furniture and decor the brothers complete the spaces with? It's often from retailers they have a sponsorship with, like Wayfair.
